Obama to address nation, world after shock Trump win

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will on Wednesday for the first time publicly address the shock election of Donald Trump as his successor, the White House said.

With the world’s most powerful nation facing an uncertain future and Obama’s eight-year legacy under mortal threat, the outgoing president will speak in the Cabinet Room of the White House at 12:15 pm in Washington (1715 GMT).

Throughout the two-year-long election campaign, Obama has repeated a mantra that he will do all he can to ensure the peaceful transition of power.

But the day after Trump’s surprise victory, the White House remained in utter disbelief at the unexpected result.

The depth and scale of the Democratic defeat — with Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress — represent a fierce repudiation of the Obama era.

America’s first black president had expressed faith that voters would reject Trump’s racially tinged rhetoric, betting that they would instead opt for Hillary Clinton’s experience.

That has proven to be a losing bet.

The outgoing commander-in-chief will now have to reassure financial markets reeling from the result and allies no longer certain that America’s security blanket extends as reliably to their shores.